CFATS Personnel Surety Program Implementation Expanded to Tier 3 & 4 Facilities

 

On July 9, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) published in the Federal Register a notice of implementation for the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism (CFATS) program’s Personnel Surety Program (PSP) for all covered chemical facilities, now including Tier 3 and Tier 4 facilities.

CISA has previously implemented the Personnel Surety Program at Tier 1 and 2 facilities. Now, CISA will implement the program in a phased manner at all high-risk chemical facilities. Notification letters will be sent to affected facilities to revise their approved security plans to describe the measures that will be used to vet affected individuals for terrorist ties (i.e. background checks). To facilitate this process, CISA is providing resources to assist facilities with selecting appropriate security measures, updating their security plans, and — once the revised plan is approved — submitting names for vetting, if applicable.

CFATS currently covers approximately 3,400 chemical facilities, which have been assessed to present a risk of terrorist attack or exploitation. Under CFATS, chemical facilities possessing more than a threshold amount of specific explosive, toxic, or other “chemicals of interest” determined by DHS, are required to complete a “top-screen,” notifying DHS that they possess such chemicals on site. Once a facility submits its top-screen, DHS can direct the facility to submit a Security Vulnerability Assessment (SVA). The SVA provides the basis for DHS to assign the facility to one of four tiers: Tiers 1 and 2 being the highest risk, and Tiers 3 and 4 being the lowest. Tier assignment triggers a requirement to submit a Site Security Plan (SSP) or an Alternative Security Plan (ASP) to DHS for authorization and approval.

According to DHS, thousands of high-risk facilities with approved security plans already have measures in place to perform checks on affected individuals’ identity, criminal history, and legal authorization to work in the United States. Comprehensive background checks that screen for terrorist ties are critical to chemical facilities at risk of an attack and have been implemented at CFATS Tier 1 and Tier 2 facilities since 2015. The recent publication of the CFATS Personnel Surety Program Implementation notice now ensures that screening for terrorist ties will occur at all CFATS-tiered facilities.

Notably, many ACA member companies, who own and operate paint, coatings, resin, or chemical manufacturing facilities are subject to CFATS, with a clear majority being classified as Tier 4 facilities, while just a few are Tier 3.

Contact ACA’s Rhett Cash for more information.

The post CFATS Personnel Surety Program Implementation Expanded to Tier 3 & 4 Facilities appeared first on American Coatings Association.

from American Coatings Association https://www.paint.org/cfats-psp-all/
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